Betsafe welcome bonus and review

Betsafe was founded by a Scandinavian consortium in 2002 and since then it broadened its scope, to cater for more than 400,000 clients. Their operations span over 110 countries and their gambling services now include casino games, poker and even bingo. Sports betting represents the cornerstone of their business model and they have a reputation for offering some of the best odds for live events.

Almost half a million customers regard Betsafe as their partner for online gambling, with the company being headquartered in Malta. It is licensed and regulated by local authorities and it is owned by the larger group Safepay Malta Limited. It slowly but surely became one of the first choices for customers from Scandinavia, despite the fact that there are plenty of respectable bookmakers located in Sweden, Norway or Finland. Players can bet in different currencies, while receiving support in a dozen languages.

Horse Racing

There is a Betsafe welcome bonus for those who open a new account, with players being eligible for a bonus worth 50% the deposit. This amount is limited to €50 or currency equivalent and players are also supposed to use a promotional code when making the initial deposit. Those who choose to wager in British pounds or US dollars, will have the Betsafe bonus converted into their currency at a fair rate.

Those who reside in Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Belarus, Macedonia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia, Armenia, Vietnam, Slovenia, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Portugal, Hungary and Kyrgyzstan are excluded from this promotion. Compared to other online bookmakers, Betsafe has wagering requirements for the welcome bonus that are not very easy to meet. Players need to wager the combined amount of the deposit and bonus six times at odds exceeding 2.00 before cashing out.

It is not allowed to use the money to play casino games or sit down and poker tables, at least not before meeting the wagering requirements. Those who aim for the maximum Betsafe bonus should be willing to wager at least €900, before choosing what to do next with the money. Occasional promotions are announced, but members need to clear existing bonuses before applying for new ones, as most offers can’t be used in conjunction.

Pros and cons for playing at Betsafe

Betsafe doesn’t accept US customers, which is a shortcoming but nothing really to frown upon since this is the regular attitude of most online bookmakers. For the rest of players, the cash outs are extremely fast and many payment methods are allowed, so transactions are performed safely and quickly.

The customer service is always at your disposal and they have an interesting policy that guarantees a paycheck of €10 for any delays. Basically, if the specialists fail to respond within the next 15 minutes after the member asks a question, Betsafe will pay that client €10 in cash. The amount is free from any wagering requirements and players decide how to use this Betsafe bonus.

The casino section at Betsafe has been revamped over the last couple of years and the games are powered by 2 popular software developers. NetEnt & Microgaming are behind most of their titles and players can compete for progressive jackpots whenever they spin the reels of selected slot machines. There is a poker area where players can compete against their peers, but Betsafe doesn’t have a dedicated game section.

Contact methods

Betsafe specialists are available 24/7 and regardless of the nature of your inquiry, it is very likely to find a convenient solution by simply giving them a call. The email is a reasonable option for those who have more complex questions to ask and don’t mind waiting for a few hours.

On the other hand, the live chat remains the fastest and most effective instrument, since the answers are delivered in real-time.

Website design, graphics and navigation

Betsafe has changed the design of the website multiple times since the company was founded in 2006, in an attempt of staying up-to-date with the latest advancements of technology. Those who have an account since the very beginning will appreciate the fact that the simplicity of the original website has been preserved. There are not too many promotional or advertising banners cramming the website, therefore navigation is user-friendly regardless of device used.

Betting on smartphones and tablets is nowadays a trend and the website has a mobile version, for those who prefer to bet exclusively on these gadgets. The neat design will appeal to those who want to play casino games in browser without downloading additional software on their computers. The bonuses are aimed at all categories of gamblers, including punters and poker players, with wagering requirements preventing players from cashing out the funds immediately.

The sports betting options are numerous and players have an average of 20 markets to choose from for each event, with many more for prominent competitions. The main features of the Betsafe websites are live scores, live betting, statistics and betting results, although a live streaming service is only on the wish list. The website itself is available in Polish, Lithuanian and Bulgarian besides English, a good proof that the bookmaker plans on expanding to new countries.

The payment options are a bit limited, with credit cards, e-wallets and bank transfers being more or less the ones used by all their customers. Those who have problems in cashing out funds after using a different payment method are advised to get in touch with the customer support.

They can be reached through live chat, email and telephone and there is a good chance for the one at the other end of the wire to be fluent in your native language. After all, they are serving customers from more than 100 countries and need a sizable team of specialists to answer all their requests.

Betsafe allows players to deposit using VISA and ECMC Mastercard for credit and debit cards, but only the former is also an effective solution for cashing out. Among the more exotic options it is worth mentioning Speedcard Direct, EntroPay, ClickandBuy and Citadel Instant Banking. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are established e-wallets, with Neteller and Skrill being the most popular ones.

The bookmaker brags about the security of its transactions which are 100% secure and properly encrypted, while the CVC codes of credit cards are never store. Most transactions are performed in a matter of hours, with the slowest payment method being the bank wire transfer. Betsafe requires its members to use the same payment methods to deposit and cash out when possible, but when this is not an option the customer support will provide the solution.